Christmas Gifts
by Lady Karai
Summary: One shot gifts for some of my author friends. Ratings vary, please see each story individually. Games used: FFVII, Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean:TTEOT.
1. Introduction

Introduction

Notes from Lady Karai:

Merry Christmas to all! This posting contains my gifts for my fellow writer friends. They are all one-shots dealing with the winter season in some way or another, not necessarily Christmas itself. I would like to make it very clear, however, that even if I did not write you a story, that doesn't mean I don't consider you a friend. It just means that I haven't gotten to know you well enough yet to be able to create something personal for you. These four ladies have been with me through two or more fics, and through reviews and PMs, I've gotten to know them very well. So, as thank yous for all their comments and support, I give you these four tales. Hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: None of these games or movies belong to me. They all belong to Square-Enix. Seriously. All of them.


	2. Believe for Lily Silver

Title: Believe  
For: Lily Silver  
Movie: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children  
Rating: K  
Description: A story of Yazoo's Christmas past and present.

Karai's comments: Well, Lily, I don't think I can say enough times how much I love your Kadaj/Yazoo/Loz fics. You give them such a wonderful depth and bond. So for you, two snapshots of Christmas for our favorite boys. The first takes place in the "Ame ni Matte" timeline and the second in "Kuro to Gin". I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Yazoo was completely unprepared for the sight that lay before him as he entered the house, laden down with bags of groceries. There in the middle of their living room stood a pile of boxes, most of them painted green, and standing next to the boxes were his two brothers, also mostly painted green. Loz had a wide swatch of green up one side of his cheek, and little Kadaj had a large daub of green on the tip of his nose. They were both so engrossed in their project that they did not notice Yazoo until he dropped the bags on the table with a thud. 

"Niichan!" Kadaj shouted excitedly. He attempted to run over to Yazoo, but Loz noticed the panicked look on the middle brother's face and caught Kadaj by the collar before he could go two steps. "Hey! Lemme go!" He flailed around wildly, little hands clawing and green eyes flashing.

"So you can turn Yazoo into a giant string bean? I don't think so."

"Oh." Kadaj stopped struggling and looked at all the paint covering his hands and arms. He lifted his head to Yazoo and grinned. "I'm a mess," he announced as if no one else had noticed.

"I see that," Yazoo answered him. He ran his eyes over the tower of boxes. "What are you two doing?"

"Making a Christmas tree!" Kadaj replied excitedly. "And look!" He ran over to what looked like a pile of newspapers and pulled on them. A long rope of taped, rolled newspaper came off of the pile into his hands. "We made some tinsel to wrap around it. And a star to put on top." He looked around. "Where is it?"

"Here," Loz answered, taking a few steps to another table and lifting up a lopsided star made of cardboard. "Oy, stay away!" he cried as Kadaj flew over to take it. Loz lifted the star high out of the small boy's reach. "We don't want a green star. Keep your hands off!"

"Your hands are just as green as mine!"

"They are not!"

"They are _so!_"

"Kadaj, Loz," Yazoo said in a soft but commanding tone. "Please. Not on Christmas Eve." Both boys immediately deflated into mutters, eyes low and embarrassed, and Yazoo could have sworn he heard apologies from each of them somewhere within the grumbles. With a small smile on his face, he suggested, "Kadaj, why don't you go clean yourself up? Niisan, I think I got everything you wanted, but you may want to check."

"Okay," Kadaj agreed as Loz said, "Right." The younger boy hurried off to the bathroom, and the older one walked over to the grocery bags and began to rummage. Yazoo let his eyes linger on the "Christmas tree" for a moment before joining Loz.

"This was Kadaj's idea?" he questioned, indicating the pile of boxes.

"Yeah," Loz answered, inspecting the vegetables that Yazoo had bought. "He said that since this is our first real Christmas, we should make it special." He laid them down and smiled at Yazoo before diving into the bag for something else. "We decided we don't have enough gil to buy a tree, so he came up with the idea of making one."

In Yazoo's mind, he could clearly see the look of concentration on his little brother's face as he pondered the problem of getting a tree: the small brow furrowed and the bright green eyes darkened in deep thought. Yazoo smiled. "He certainly is creative."

"He is at that."

"Which reminds me …" Yazoo turned to the bags and gently pushed his brother's hands aside to claim the prize hidden at the very bottom. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Kadaj had not returned, he pulled out a small plastic bag. Loz understood its meaning and eagerly looked over Yazoo's shoulder as the middle brother revealed a small sketchpad and a box of crayons.

Yazoo lifted an eyebrow at his brother in a silent question of approval. He himself had not been entirely satisfied with the gift. He had wanted to get a larger pad and a box that had dozens of colors instead of just four, but they simply did not have the gil. And he wasn't about to _steal_ a Christmas present.

Loz, however, clearly did not think the present too small, for his eyes shone with unshed tears. "It's perfect," he nearly choked. "He's going to love it." He took the bag into his arms like it was a priceless treasure and said, "I'll go hide it in the kitchen." Yazoo nodded, and Loz retreated, sniffling slightly as he went.

Once the present had been safely hidden and Loz was happily cooking dinner, Yazoo decided to go see if Kadaj needed any help ridding himself of all that paint. He walked over to the bathroom and, noticing the door standing open, peeked his head around the frame. His eyes widened as he noticed his little brother huddled on the floor, a discarded washcloth by his side, and heard the muffled sniffles coming from behind his small hands.

"Kadaj?" Yazoo questioned, coming into the room and kneeling beside the younger boy. "What's wrong?"

Kadaj quickly composed himself and brought his hands away from his face. "Nothing."

"But you're crying."

"No I'm not!" He turned a fierce expression to Yazoo, his flashing eyes daring him to point out the tears still on his cheeks.

Yazoo swallowed his response and merely nodded, knowing that when Kadaj got like this it was best just to give him his way. Picking up the washcloth, he moved until he was behind the other boy and began to work at the paint still in his hair. Kadaj sat in silence for several moments, his stiff back strongly stating his continued defiance. Eventually however, Yazoo's gentle attentions soothed his anger and the boy relaxed.

"Niichan?"

"Yes, Kadaj?"

"Do you really think Santa will visit us this year?"

"Of course he will."

"But he never did before. Back when we were … you know .. in that place."

Yazoo paused for a moment in his actions. So that was what had caused the tears. All those empty Christmases at the ShinRa labs without a shred of peace or goodwill. The worry that nothing had changed even though they had escaped and were free. The thought that Santa had abandoned them and would not reclaim them now.

Yazoo slipped his arms around Kadaj's thin shoulders and hugged him gently. "Just believe in him, Kadaj. He'll find us. I know he will."

Kadaj choked down another sniffle. "Really?"

"Yes," Yazoo answered, thinking of that hidden present and the joy that it would bring tomorrow morning. "He'll follow your belief straight to you. He's magic, you know."

"But then why didn't he ever come before? We _needed_ Christmas then, more than anyone else. Why didn't he come?"

Yazoo squeezed his eyes shut. That question had hurt. It had hurt terribly. Kadaj was right, of course, and Yazoo had no answer that wouldn't shatter his brother's already fragile innocence. "I don't know why," he finally said. "I just … I know that if you believe in him, he'll come this year. I promise."

"Okay," Kadaj replied without much conviction. Then he sat up straighter when a tear dropped onto the top of his head. He looked up at Yazoo with wide eyes. "Niichan? Are you crying?"

"No," Yazoo smiled as another tear slipped down his cheek and threatened to hit Kadaj in the face.

Kadaj wiped it away before it could fall and smiled back. "I'll believe, niichan," he said quietly. "And even if he doesn't come, as long as you and Loz are here, it'll be a perfect Christmas."

xXx

"Yazoo?"

He looked over at Tifa who was gazing at him in gentle concern. His eyes lowered to the wet plate she was trying to hand him, and he quickly put down the glass he had been drying.

"Sorry," he apologized, taking the plate. "I was just thinking."

"It's okay," she assured him, turning back to the dirty dishes. He noticed she didn't ask what he had been thinking about. It was one of the things that he liked best about her. She understood him, his tendency to zone out, and his reluctance to share his thoughts with others. She accepted him as he was, and he truly appreciated that.

On the other side of the bar, Yuffie and Loz were hanging strings of lights on the walls, and the girl was singing carols horribly off-key. She had grown tired of the normal songs, however, and had started to make up new ones of her own.

"Deck the bar with lots of lights! Fa la la la la, la la la la. 'Tis the season … um …" she faltered.

"For fist-fights?" Loz suggested teasingly.

Yuffie immediately shrieked, "NO!" but Cloud, sitting by himself at a table, commented, "With all the liquor that'll be flowing around here, I wouldn't be surprised."

Tifa laughed at him. "It _is _a bar, Cloud."

He shrugged and went back to the mass of papers spread all around him. Yazoo felt a pang of sympathy for the blond. Running a delivery service at Christmastime was tough. Cloud was currently attempting to figure out how he would get all his work done and be home before March.

A shrill cry from the second floor suddenly claimed everyone's attention, and soon after three girls came flying down the stairs. Yazoo recognized the lead girl as the one who had come to live with them only a few weeks ago. She collapsed on the floor in violent tears, and the other two girls -- Marlene and Erica -- hovered over her and soothed her like small angels.

"What happened?" Tifa demanded, rushing out from behind the bar to join the girls. Yazoo noticed with surprise that he could hear Denzel upstairs yelling at someone, the boy's normally calm voice filled with anger.

Marlene explained, "Owen told Natalie that Santa won't bring her any presents because she lives here now and her parents are dead and can't tell him where she is."

As Tifa gasped in horror and astonishment, Yuffie's cheery face blackened in fury. "That's it! That kid has done it this time!" She cracked her knuckles and purposefully advanced towards the stairs.

"Yuffie, wait!" Tifa called, running after her. "He's just a child!"

Yazoo watched the two women go and thought idly of what Yuffie would attempt to do to the troublesome boy. Tifa would stop her, of course, but Yazoo almost wished she wouldn't. That kid deserved a good thrashing, especially for this latest offense.

"Yazoo?" He looked down and met Marlene's large, innocent eyes. "Would you comfort Natalie? She's really upset."

Yazoo blinked at her. Him comfort the girl? "But surely Loz …" he started before he realized his brother was attempting to free himself from the mess of lights that Yuffie had thrown on him before exiting. And the only other person in the room was Cloud, and Marlene had always had a fond spot for Yazoo which he did not understand. "All right," he said, and Marlene smiled.

He came out from behind the bar and knelt down next to the still-weeping child. Carefully, he reached out a hand and smoothed the small back. "It'll be okay," he murmured to Natalie. "Santa will bring you a present this year."

She peeked out at him from behind her hands, timid and miserable. "Really?" she sniffed.

A memory rose in Yazoo's heart, and it brought both pain and happiness with it. How similar this situation was to that first Christmas. How long ago it seemed. He grieved for the innocence lost until he suddenly realized that he was looking straight at it. There in Natalie's eyes.

"Yes," he answered her. "Just believe in him, and he'll find you. Your belief is what he follows." He smiled gently at her. "He's magic, you know."

Finally Natalie smiled a little back. Yazoo settled onto the ground next to her and pulled her small body into his lap. Stroking her hair, he said, "Let me tell you a story about my little brother and the Christmas when he was afraid Santa wouldn't come. Just like you."

"Okay," she said, swallowing her sniffles. "What's your brother's name?"

Yazoo lifted his eyes and found Cloud looking at him, frozen in the act of unfolding a map. His words had caught the blond's attention, and their shared pain resonated in the air between them. But then Cloud's lips slowly formed a small smile and his cold eyes softened into a look of acceptance and something bordering on friendship. Yazoo smiled at him before returning his attention to the child in his lap.

"His name was Kadaj."

The End


	3. Prickles for Miss Nox

Title: Prickles  
For: Miss Nox  
Game: Star Ocean: Til the End of Time  
Rating: T  
Description: Fayt helps Albel after he is attacked by a porcupine outside of Airyglyph.

Karai's comments: For Miss Nox, my oldest friend here on FFN, Albel wrapped up in nothing but a bow. Well, no, I can't give you that unfortunately, so will you settle for a bit of FaytxAlbel? I really miss reading your fun Star Ocean stuff, and I hope you can find the time to come back to us soon. Until then, Merry Christmas!

* * *

"Aaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!" 

Fayt turned just in time to see Albel behead a porcupine before falling to one knee in the snow, hissing in pain. The small monster had shot its quills at the Glyphian before expiring, and they now stood out in painful array all up and down Albel's sword arm. Fayt drew his breath in sharply at the sight and quickly walked over to help.

"You okay, Albel?"

"Go away, worm," the other predictably growled.

"But you're hurt." He looked around for his old friend. "Where's Sophia? I'll get her to heal you."

Albel snarled in response. "If that squeaky, pink maggot comes within ten feet of me, I'll disembowel her."

"Sure you will," Fayt humored him. He noticed the others fighting some more porcupines and had raised a hand to catch Sophia's attention when --

"Aaaugh!"

Fayt sighed. "Oh well. Looks like Cliff got hit, too. I'll let Sophia handle him and just take care of you myself." He knelt down beside Albel, ignoring the cold that seeped into his knees, and firmly took the other's wounded arm in his hands. Albel hissed and growled but said nothing. After a moment of inspection, Fayt said, "No way around it. Looks like I'll just have to pull them out."

"What? Wait a -- aaaahhh!" Albel cried out as Fayt took a quill between his fingers and pulled, although the noise had been more from shock than from pain. "Be careful!" he ordered.

"I am being careful," Fayt replied, dropping the quill into the snow beside him. He took a moment to glance into Albel's deep red eyes; they were glowing with murderous intent. As usual. Fayt suppressed a smile as he moved on to the next quill. Albel really needed to lighten up some. A very wicked thought entered the normally-innocent young man's mind, and he had to swallow hard to keep from laughing.

"Rrrn." The noise escaped Albel's throat as the second quill came out in spite of the older man's resolve.

"Does it hurt?" Fayt queried in a kind tone laced with fake worry. A glare was his only response. Lowering his voice and giving it a tinge of darkness, he added, "Would you like me to kiss it?"

Albel's eyebrows rocketed upwards, disappearing into his long bangs. He surreptitiously checked the location of the other members of the party and, once he had determined they were out of earshot, turned back to Fayt with a sly smirk. Fayt swallowed. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all. But he had started it and he would see it through.

As Fayt pulled out another quill, Albel replied in a low, throaty tone, "That's not such a bad idea, fool. Put that tongue of yours to good use instead of wagging on and on about hope and justice and such rot."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in my abilities."

"Bah. Don't flatter yourself. You're just an inspired amateur. You have a lot to learn."

"And you could teach me, I suppose."

An arrogant smile settled onto Albel's face with practiced ease. He practically purred, "With barely any effort, I could have you on your knees begging for mercy."

Fayt flushed. He was suddenly very grateful for the numbing cold that had seeped up through his knees and into his thighs. Damn Albel, playing dirty like this. He knew that half-lidded look drove Fayt crazy, but he was using it anyway. Well, Fayt could play dirty, too.

He pulled out another quill and this time, instead of laying it down with the rest, slowly dragged the tip gently up the length of Albel's arm. "You know, I should keep these," he said lightly.

"Hmph. Whatever for?"

"Oh, I'm sure I could find a use for them." He refused to meet the other man's eyes, instead watching the quill as it traveled up and then back down. "I'm rather creative, you know," he continued. Then, he inhaled sharply as if a sudden thought had hit him, and he raised his eyes with the most innocent, open, and friendly smile he could muster. The look he knew Albel just couldn't resist. "Hey, Albel, you like a bit of pain now and then, don't you?"

Albel's red eyes flickered as his defenses cracked, and Fayt could tell he was desperately trying not to tackle the younger man into the snow. Although it threatened to turn into a victorious grin, Fayt kept the sweet smile on his face while he pulled out the final two quills. There. Albel's arm was now free of the projectiles and only needed a bit of care to treat the small wounds.

But before he could move on to the next step of the treatment or even comment on it to Albel, the older man had swooped in and placed his face directly next to Fayt's. His lips hovered dangerously close to Fayt's cheek, but Albel did not kiss him. Instead he let his breath wash over the younger man's ear and neck as he whispered, "You know nothing of pain, fool. Or of pleasure. Nothing of how they can blend together so tightly that their combined force can drive you into madness. You should not speak lightly of things you do not understand."

Shivers had taken control of Fayt's spine, and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning out loud at the sensation of the other man's warm breath caressing his sensitive areas. He couldn't believe Albel had used that weapon against him. That was _cheating_! This may have started as a competition, but now it was all-out war.

Forcing himself back under control, Fayt took advantage of Albel's closeness to slip a cold hand over the older man's stomach and gently touch his skin. He smiled as he felt Albel stiffen and heard his breath catch. Although by this point their words were not nearly as important as the physical attacks they were launching against each other, Fayt answered Albel's taunt by replying, "I understand enough. I'm not as naïve as you think, and you should know better than anyone that only a _fool_ allows himself to underestimate an enemy, Nox."

Albel's breath hissed out between clenched teeth, and he pulled back to stare hungrily into Fayt's eyes. The expression on his face filled the younger man with fear. There was only one direction this "battle" was going to take now, and, while Fayt usually would have welcomed it, he didn't want it to happen out here, in broad daylight, and in view of the others.

Fayt quickly scooped up a generous amount of snow in his hand and unceremoniously dumped it onto Albel's arm. As the other yelled in surprise and discomfort from the sudden cold, the confident and fearless leader of their group shot to his feet and ran away, calling over his shoulder, "That should help keep down any swelling!" He ignored the string of curses that followed him and did not slow down until he was safely settled between Sophia and Mirage as they finished attending to Cliff.

"Everyone okay?" Fayt asked cheerfully. He tried not to wince at the fake brightness in his voice; it sounded forced even to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cliff answered with a wave of his hand. He got to his feet and commented, "It'll take more than that to bring me down."

"And how are you, Albel?" Mirage inquired politely as the swordsman stalked up to them.

Albel did not even grace her with an answer, but instead brushed by with a muttered comment of "… worms." He kept on walking towards the Airyglyph gates, not bothering to look behind to see if anyone followed.

"Heh. I think I agree with Albel for once," Cliff said with a grin. "Time to turn in, Fayt?"

"Huh?" Fayt blinked. He shook away his thoughts and turned back to his friends with a flustered smile. "Yeah, that sounds good. Let's go to the inn." Everyone nodded and began walking in the direction of the town together.

"Fayt?" Sophia said quietly after a moment. She had attached herself to his arm as usual.

"Yeah?"

"You okay? You look a bit red in the face."

He grinned at her and tried to sound sincere. "I'm fine, Sophia. But thanks for your concern."

She smiled at his appreciation and, satisfied, went back to her own thoughts. Fayt breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad that his inner turmoil had not been noticed any further than that. In reality, his insides churned with an emotion somewhere between anxiety and delirious anticipation.

He had noticed the porcupine quills clutched in Albel's hand as the older man had walked by.

It was going to be a _very_ long night.

The End


	4. Present for Moonshine's Guide

Title: Present  
For: Moonshine's Guide  
Game: Kingdom Hearts II  
Rating: K+  
Description: Vexen goes to Christmas Town on a special and very personal mission.

Karai's comments: Merry Christmas to the biggest Vexen fan ever! Get your glomp ready and I'll get the heck out of the way. Seriously though, Moonshine, you should change your name to Sunshine because you always make me smile. I should warn you though, your present is rather sad. I wanted to show a different side to the Chilly Academic, a more loving one, and came up with this. Hope you like it.

* * *

The snow crunched under Vexen's booted feet as he walked down the hill away from the tree and towards the brightly-lit town below. He ignored the falling white flakes even when several attached themselves to his eyelashes and attempted to obstruct his vision. But when a high-speed snowball crashed into his back directly between his shoulder blades, he stopped, grinding his teeth and curling his hands into fists. 

"Remind me again what we're doing here."

Vexen slowly turned around to the speaker behind him. He smiled sardonically. "Remind you? You mean you didn't memorize it?"

Axel smiled back at him, unfazed by the older Nobody's mocking of his trademark expression. The falling snow evaporated upon hitting him, and the drifts around his feet had already begun to melt. "How could I," he asked good-naturedly, "when you haven't told me yet?"

"Exactly," Vexen replied. "And I'm not going to because I never asked you to follow me. As to why you're here, I have no idea. One would assume you would know this information yourself, although in your case, it would not surprise me if one were wrong."

Axel laughed off the insult easily. "I'm here because the Superior is looking for you."

Vexen blinked coldly at him. "You could have told me this before we left."

"Yeah, but you said you were coming here, so I decided to tag along. Didn't realize you meant Christmas Town." He ran his sharp eyes over the scenery and shrugged. "Halloween Town is much more fun. Think I'll get out of this blizzard and go there instead." He turned and lifted one hand in a half-hearted wave before yanking open the pumpkin door in the tree at the top of the hill. "See ya, old man!"

Vexen watched him go curiously and wondered how anyone could call this light snowfall a "blizzard". Well, perhaps to a fire elemental any amount of snow was unbearable. His lips curled slightly as he thought of various ways he could educate Axel on the true meaning of the word "blizzard".

But that would have to wait. Now he had a mission to complete.

He resumed his journey to the town below. Although the lights outside still twinkled, most of the rooms within the houses were dark and the inhabitants asleep. Vexen walked straight up to the largest house in the center of town and opened the unlocked door. Inside, he threaded his way with practiced steps to the factory floor and only stopped when he stood before a long table that held numerous newly-manufactured toys.

Vexen ran his eyes over the gifts. He knew exactly what he wanted. He got the same thing every year without fail. There. His hand picked up a small doll with blonde curls and pretty blue eyes, clothed in a pink dress with white frills, little white shoes, and a pink ribbon in her hair. He tucked the prize into the crook of his arm and silently left the way he had come.

When he reached his second destination, he stood for a long time, just staring down at the stone. Absently, one thumb stroked the doll's curls as he held it in his arm. Behind him, colored lights illuminated the night-covered streets of Hollow Bastion, their quiet twinkling cheerfully announcing the coming holiday. But no one had strung lights in this place. A few fellow visitors had left wreaths or candles, but nothing signaling joy or hope. Not here.

As he stood there, Vexen heard another portal opening behind him, but he did not turn. Only one other person knew of his attachment to this place.

"The Superior is looking for you," his young voice said quietly.

"I know," Vexen replied. "I will be there as soon as I can."

Zexion was silent for several moments. Vexen could feel the younger Nobody's eyes on him, but he did not care. Finally, Zexion said, "Take your time."

"Zexion," Vexen spoke up quickly before the other could leave.

"Yes?"

"Do you think the Superior will succeed? That he will find our hearts?"

After a brief pause for thought, Zexion replied, "Yes. I do."

"Even mine?" He did not elaborate, but he did not have to. Zexion knew of his pain. No, the memory of his pain. For they could not feel, or so the Superior always told them.

"Yes," Zexion had answered. "It may be broken, but it will still be a heart. After all, to give one's heart to another, that is just a figure of speech."

Vexen dipped his chin into the collar of his robe. He clutched the doll tighter to his chest, tighter to where his heart should have been. "You do not understand," he whispered.

"No," Zexion admitted after a small pause. "I do not. I have no memory of such a love. I … " he hesitated. "I almost wish I did. Even if it did include with it the memory of pain."

"She was my sunlight," Vexen told him quietly. "When I looked at her, I felt as if my heart had filled my entire body. Filled it with joy and the purest of loves. I would have done anything for her. Given her anything. Anything at all." He listened to the sound of his own dead voice as it spoke into the cold air. It seemed so empty, as if his words held no meaning. But they once had. He remembered that they had.

"I … am sorry." Zexion's voice too was devoid of life, but Vexen could tell that, if the other had been capable of sympathy, he would have given it. After a moment, Zexion said again, "Take your time." He opened a portal for himself and vanished.

Vexen let his eyes travel over the stone. Over her name and two dates. They were only five years apart. Carefully, he knelt down in the snow and placed the doll beside her headstone. He smoothed the doll's blonde hair, thinking of hers and those beautiful blue eyes that had once looked up at his with childish love and devotion. He took a breath and spoke to her, his voice coming out in a low whisper.

"Merry Christmas, little one."

The End


	5. Snowman for ParisWriter

Title: Snowman  
For: ParisWriter  
Game: Final Fantasy VII  
Rating: K+  
Description: Rude spends some time with Reno's family on a vacation at Icicle Inn.

Karai's comments: Oh man, I had way too much fun writing this. Thank you, Paris, for Reno's great family. Cera _is_ his other half, and at this point no one can convince me otherwise. I really hope 2007 treats you well because you deserve it. Oh, and yes, the Christmas present incident is taken from my own life except it was my daughter, her grandmother, and a nightgown instead of a hat.

* * *

"Unca Wude?" 

Rude looked up from his newspaper to meet the bright eyes of Leena, Reno's little girl. She stood next to him expectantly, the top of her head not even reaching his armpits even though he was sitting.

"Yes?" he said to her.

She raised a hand and pointed to the window. Outside the snow fell steadily, but then again, it was always snowing at Icicle Inn. Or at least it was whenever Rude decided to vacation there.

"Wanna build a 'noman," Leena informed him seriously.

"Um … that's nice?" he faltered. He wasn't entirely used to Leena even though he saw her often enough. It wasn't as if he didn't like her -- she had a sweet disposition, undoubtedly inherited from her mother -- but he didn't really know how to behave around four-year-olds. Especially vivacious four-year-olds who expected him to play with them.

Leena's brows drew together at his response. "No," she insisted, clearly attempting to get her point across. "Wanna go ow_side_. Wanna build a '_no_man!"

"Um …" Rude repeated, wishing and praying to every deity he could think of that Reno were here to help. Ah, yes. That would work. Tilting his head a bit to look at the girl, he asked, "If you want to go outside, I think you should get your daddy's permission first."

She blinked at him a bit, processing this information. Then, she nodded, apparently agreeing, turned, and hollered at the top of her lungs, "DADDY!"

Rude flinched at the volume although he shouldn't have been surprised. Apparently the girl had inherited more from her father than just the flaming red hair. The man in question appeared almost instantly at the door to their room, cringing at his daughter's outburst.

"Leena! Shhhhh! Mommy and the baby are resting!"

"Sowwy," she replied sincerely as he crossed the room to kneel down in front of her.

"It's okay, honey," Reno assured her, smoothing her hair. "What do you need?"

The girl's face brightened immediately, and she reached out and grabbed Rude's hand. "Wanna go owside and build a 'noman. Wif Unca Wude. Okay, Daddy?"

Reno raised his eyes to his partner in a silent question. In response, Rude tried to convey with just his expression the absolute terror he felt at the prospect of having to entertain anyone under the age of twenty. Reno smirked at Rude's obvious discomfort and for a moment he was afraid his partner would abandon him to his doom, but thankfully Reno took pity on him. "That sounds like fun, sweetheart. Can I come, too?"

"Sure, Daddy!" She dropped Rude's hand and ran straight for the front door of the inn.

"Leena!" Reno called after her. "Your coat!"

She skidded to a halt and immediately began running in the other direction, leaving Rude to wonder why laws of physics never seemed to affect small people. The three of them spent the next few minutes bundling up in coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. They were about to exit into the snow when Rude realized he had neglected to get a hat for himself.

"Just a moment," he said to Reno, one hand lifting to his bald head automatically. "I need a hat."

"I get it!" Leena cried excitedly, but instead of going to the coat closet, she ran over to the small Christmas tree that the inn had set up for its guests. Cera had placed a few presents under the tree when they arrived, and now Leena grabbed a small box covered in red and green paper. Reno, upon seeing what she was doing, attempted to stop her, but she trotted straight up to Rude and pushed the box into his hands with a smile. He looked over to Reno with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh … heh heh … Merry Christmas?" Reno stammered, giving him an apologetic look.

"Can I open it?" Leena asked innocently. Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of opening a present, even if the object inside wasn't for her. Rude wordlessly handed her the box, and she ripped the paper off eagerly. With that accomplished, she thrust the box back into Rude's hands and had taken three steps towards the rest of the presents, a hungry gleam in her eyes, before her father grabbed her and hefted her up into his arms.

"No, sweetheart," he said desperately. "Those have to wait until Christmas."

"Awwww …"

While Reno continued his attempt to explain to his daughter the virtue of delayed gratification, Rude lifted the lid of the box and looked at the object inside. It was a hat. A red hat. A fuzzy red hat. With little straps on the sides to be pulled under the chin and tied. And it had a pom-pom on the top. Rude turned his attention to Reno and just stared.

Reno's face clearly showed his sympathy for his partner's plight, but his next sentence explained everything. "Leena picked it out for you."

"Oh." He shifted his eyes to the smiling little girl and managed, "Thank you, Leena."

"Welcome," she chirped. Then, she grabbed her father by the ear and repeated, "Wanna go ow_side_, Daddy!"

"Okay, okay," he laughed at her. "Let's go." He walked briskly to the door, still carrying Leena in his arms. Rude stared at the hat for a while longer before finally removing it from the box and placing it on his head. He silently followed after the other two.

Outside, Leena ordered her father and her "uncle" about as she perched on a nearby wall like a queen upon her throne. "Daddy, za belly's not big enuff. Do it summore. Unca Wude, za head's _too_ big."

"Can't we just switch them?" Reno asked the little royal hopefully.

"No! You doing za belly, and Unca Wude doing za head."

"Well, if we switch snowballs, then we can still --"

"Nooooooo!!"

"Okay, honey, okay!" He threw up his gloved hands in defeat and went back to pushing the snowball along the ground in an attempt to make it bigger. Rude just smirked at his partner and knocked some extra snow off of his ball. He idly wondered what his coworkers would think if they saw the two battle-hardened Turks willingly at the mercy of a miniature dictator in a pink snowsuit with little bunnies all over it. Probably laugh until they injured themselves.

Once the belly and the head of the snowman-in-progress were checked and approved by the chief, Rude hefted the smaller ball on top of the larger and squashed it down slightly so it would stay. Leena examined it for a minute and then nodded and jumped down to the ground. She trotted over and gave her father two rocks that she had found. "For za eyes," she informed him solemnly. While he put the rocks in as told, she went over to a nearby bush and rooted around until she found two decent-sized sticks. Those went into the sides of the body as arms and a brief trip back into the inn produced a carrot for the nose.

The three snowman-makers stood back from their creation and looked at it for a bit in silence. Finally, Leena commented, "He looks cold." She took her own scarf off and draped it around the snowman's neck. Rude watched Reno bite down on his lip and guessed the other man was stopping himself from protesting. After all, what was one scarf when weighed with the happy childhood that neither man had been lucky enough to have?

"He _still_ looks cold," Leena announced after another moment. She turned to the two grown-ups and frowned at them in frustration. When her eyes met Rude's, her young face gradually broke out into a small smile. Rude contemplated her expression for a moment until out of nowhere he realized what she was thinking. And he smiled as well.

Fifteen minutes later, Rude had reclaimed his spot at the table, newspaper in one hand and a steaming cup of hot chocolate in the other. Reno and Leena sat curled up on the floor, each with a hot chocolate of their own, reading from a book of fairy tales that Cera had bought the girl for her last birthday. Outside, the snow continued to fall quietly, gently blanketing the town with a soft layer of white.

And just outside the inn stood a plump snowman kept warm by a small pink scarf and a fuzzy red hat with a pom-pom on top.

The End


End file.
